Banteay Chhmar Temple & Silk Farm Private Day Trip from Siem Reap
Description
Step off the beaten path with this private full-day tour to the remote and rarely visited Banteay Chhmar temple complex, a hidden treasure of the Angkorian era. Explore ancient ruins engulfed by jungle, pay tribute at the Banteay Toap "Fortress of the Army", and learn about Cambodia’s traditional silk-making techniques at the Angkor Silk Farm. ✅ Banteay Chhmar Temple: Discover one of the most impressive yet least-visited Angkorian temples, featuring stone carvings, collapsed galleries, and serene forest surroundings. ✅ Banteay Toap Temple: Visit the “Fortress of the Army,” believed to honor Khmer soldiers, located beside a scenic water reservoir and lush landscape. ✅ Angkor Silk Farm: End your journey with a visit to a working silk farm, where you’ll learn about traditional silk weaving techniques, from silkworms to finished textiles. ✅ Local Culture & Insight: Gain deep historical and cultural context from your professional English-speaking guide throughout the journey.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Banteay Chhmar was one of the most extensive architectural undertakings Jayavarman VII built in a politically sensitive region in the final years of his reign. The architecture shows signs of haste in its construction, as do his other temples, and it appears to have been left unfinished. There are clear indications that new architectural forms were still being developed at the site in the course of building. The iconography expresses both Buddhist and Hinduist beliefs, as well as the supremacy of the king, themes that are also represented in his other temples. However the representations of individual deities and their juxtapositions are in many cases unique to Banteay Chhmar.
Banteay Toap Temple is a fascinating and interesting temple site. The name is thought to mean ‘Fortress of the Army’ and it was built during the same period as the Banteay Chhmar temple complex. It is believed to have been built as a tribute to the Khmer army for their defeat of the Cham army leading to Khmer control of the region.
All stages of the production process can be seen here, from the cultivation of mulberry trees to the nurturing of silkworms to the dyeing and weaving of silk.
A giant reservoir constructed during the Khmer Empire, measuring 8km long by 2.1km wide. Its purpose at the time it was constructed is still not clear, and the original hypothesis, that it was used for irrigation, no longer holds much water.
The Svay Romiet Pagoda is located directly on the banks of the West Baray. They always go to the pagoda on their ancestor's anniversary or someone's birthday. This is the way to showing high respect even on days that are not the Pchum Ben festival. The festival educates younger people on how they should give respect to their relatives.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We offer free pick up and drop off from hotel located in Siem Reap. If your hotel is not listed please provide us your hotel name and your tour guide will meet you at your hotel in the lobby by starting time in booking
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(7)
We have seen some amazing, beautiful historical sights and got to visit them without being accompanied by plenty of tourists. Those temples are amazing wonder, even hundreds years later. But the highlight of the day was our guide - he spoke excellent English and answered all of our questions - related and unrelated to the tour directly. Defo best, most professional guide we had in 4 months of travelling. I recommended the tour for everyone who want to learn about Cambodian history and culture, a little beyond Angkor Wat.
Dear Paulina Warm greetings from About Cambodia Travel & Tours and thank you for sharing your wonderful review. We are truly delighted to know that you had an enjoyable experience exploring Cambodia with us. It was a great privilege to assist you during your journey, and your kind feedback is sincerely appreciated by our entire team. Our goal is always to provide personalized service and memorable travel experiences, and it is very rewarding to hear that we were able to contribute positively to your trip. Thank you once again for your trust and support. We look forward to the opportunity of welcoming you back to Cambodia in the future, and hopefully assisting you, your family, and your friends on another memorable journey. Wishing you continued safe and happy travels. Warm regards Guest Relations Manager About Cambodia Travel & Tours
A wonderful discovery of a temple seldom visited, but very beautiful since it is of the same style as the Bayon in Angkor. The guide was very good at explaining the sculptures on the walls, and globally had very good knowledge of Cambodia history. The driver was very good too (I felt safe during the whole tour). The discovery of the western reservoir was a nice surprise.
Very interesting day. Leap was a great guide and very knowledgeable. Art was a very good and safe driver. The temple visit was great
We really liked the tour and explanations s of our Leap guide. He was listening despite the language (visit in English). Banteay chhmar is beautiful and the visit very well signposted
My wife and I did this tour and loved it. Our tour guide Leap was friendly and knowledgeable (and a goog photographer). The tour was fun and insightful - we learned a lot and got to see more remote temples. Our driver La was polite, made good time, and drove smoothly. 5 stars.
It takes 3 hours drive to temple and it is so amazing trips that go through many villages to beautiful at countryside. Our guide Danut showed us fantastic about Cambodia and the temple is very nice, deference from Angkor temples that we visited. If you are temple fan, we are highly recommended.
Dear Syngm We would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank you very much for choosing About Cambodia Travel & Tours for holiday in Cambodia and It was such our great pleasure and honor to have our professional tour guide and driver to accompany you around all the spectacular of Tours in Cambodia. We can’t wait to serve you in the next future trip for you and your family and your friends. Thank you so much once again for spending your time to write your travel experiences with us. We commit to offer our customers valuable tour services at affordable prices in order to make their trip with unforgettable experiences with us. Have a wonderful day and stay in touch. With Best Regards, About Cambodia Travel & Tours
It was great day from Siem Reap to Banteay Chhmar temple with our excellent guide. It is an entirely different experience than visiting temples in Siem Reap. But since this temple complex is located in a quite remote area of Cambodia, only a few number of visitors visit it. It's a massive temple with a variety of beautiful, interesting, different, and above all, unique features that distinguish it from other temples. It’s a very remarkable opportunity to explore and discover the true beauty of a temple that has been protected by the jungle and forgotten for so many years.
